The Final Lap

Number of Miles Ridden

I am very excited about the number of miles I have ridden over this semester as a commuter. The bike computer really helped me have an excellent measurable on how well my project went. On September 3rd, I started with 208.24 miles on my bike computer, as of November 26th, I am on 280.86 miles! That means I rode 72.62 miles just by commuting! I loved checking my mileage to see how far I had ridden. That number of miles is really incredible when you think about it.

Gas

What I really hoped to achieve was to reduce the amount of money I spent on gas. Unfortunately that did not happen. Although overall I drove my car much less than I did last year, I also went home more this year. To compare, I used my credit card statements from August, September, October, and November of 2011 and compared them to the same months in this year.

First let me explain how I used my car this year versus last year. Last year, I was carpooling to RedStepper practice with my roommates probably every other day for all of first semester. I also drove to the library because I had a lab at night and did not want to walk. Because I was consumed with RedSteppers (that's the IU dance team if you did not know), I pretty much did not go home until Thanksgiving in 2011. Now this year I pretty much only drive my car once a week, but I have gone home more often, and this requires a full tank of gas for round trip. I went home twice in August, did not go home in September, went home in October, and then home for Thanksgiving in November.

So unfortunately, this graph did not turn out as I hoped, but also the price of gas could also be a factor. The number of gallons purchased would have been a better comparable, but I do not have that specific information. Overall then, I rode my bike more, drove my car in Bloomington less, but drove my car home to Illinois more.

What I Learned and the Future

Basically I am very happy with the overall result of my personal project. I learned a lot about biking in Bloomington and commuter biking in general. At times it got frustrating or annoying when it was raining or when I was just plain tired and did not want to ride my bike. But overall I knew biking would be so much faster then walking, and I had to do it. Unfortunately, I did spend more money on gas and I never did go buy groceries on my bike. 

Now that it has gotten colder, I still ride my bike to work, I just have to bundle up a bit more. Wind is definitely a bigger factor on a bike. Once it does start to snow (and I really hope it does this year, I love snow) I probably will just start to walk to work. I do not want to subject my bike to the slush and salt on the streets and then track that all back into my apartment. 

Next semester I definitely will be riding my bike to work and elsewhere for two reasons. One I really like it, and two I basically do not have the option to drive because I cannot park anywhere without that pass. I guess that is how it should be. If we disincentivize parking, that only leaves 3 other options: the bus, the bike, or our feet. I would rather rely on myself then a bus, so its active transportation all the way for me.

This project really helped solidify my love of biking and really helped confirm that I hope to work in active transportation one day. I have basically been stalking all sorts of active transportation groups for jobs for after graduation. I have been really intrigued by The City of Chicago Bicycle Program, The Active Transportation Alliance, The Alliance for Biking and Walking,  and The League of American Bicyclists.

Bike The Drive, an annual event put on by The Active Transportation Alliance.  No cars here. Only Bikes.

My boyfriend, Kevin, and I riding down Lake Shore Drive on our Little 5 bikes. 

Bike the Drive is an event put on by the Active Transportation Alliance, where Lake Shore Drive is closed down to cars and open only to bicyclists. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done in the city of Chicago, and I would love to be involved with stuff like this. Hopefully my unique personal project will make a great experience for me to use when job hunting this winter. Wish me luck!

Wrapping It Up: Final Class Entry

Overall Course Reflections

Looking back, this has definitely been one of my favorite graduate classes. This is the type of stuff I want to be involved in when I graduate, not economics and statistics. I know all that is important but this is the meat of what I want to do with my life. I loved the wide range of topics we got to cover and wish we could have covered them more in depth. What I really would love to see would be specific courses taught about those topics in SPEA. A whole course on green building? Amazing! A whole course on waste reduction and recycling? Terrific! I would be in heaven!

The set up of the class was different from every course I have taken thus far, so that was refreshing. I liked that it was so open and not simply a lecture and take notes type of class. The fact that there were not exams always helps too.

Otherwise, I loved learning how to use Blogger. I had never used it before. My family even follows me to see how my personal project is going. Overall, I got to learn some new social media skills that will be important in the future.

Personal Project Evaluation

The personal project was a lot of fun. I enjoyed getting to challenge myself throughout the semester. Doing this project gives our class something to really work with while interviewing for jobs. If I apply for an active transportation job, I can tell them all about what it is like to bike to work, because I have personally done it. I talk a lot more about this topic in my final personal project blog. 

I wish we made more of an emphasis of updates on the projects in class. I am not going to go and read every person in the class's project updates on their blogs. I do not check blogs and stuff so I have no idea what is going on with everyone. It would have been nice if at least once we went around and talked about how our project was going.

Sustainability and Beyond

My perception of sustainability has changed for the better over the course of the semester. I have taken sustainability related classes (like E400 Topics in Sustainability)  before, and have worked and blogged in the field (like for the EPA about the Super Bowl), but this course offered me good amounts of information about multiple topics. Having the different ideas and opinions of my like-minded peers really helped shape my view of sustainability. Even now I find sustainability hard to describe.  It is not just preserving our resources for present and future generations. There are so many other factors that go into that.

Who knows, I might end up in DC working on this stuff!

Some of the topics we covered in class definitely painted a grim outlook for the future if we do nothing now, but learning about all the different ways we can overcome climate change and the like helps me realize that there really is hope, that there can be change, it just might take a while or some genius SPEA students to fix that. 

The biggest lasting effect that I gained from this class will be the experiences I had. My personal project of becoming a bike commuter is something that I can always talk about in interviews and can apply to whatever my future career ends up being (Especially important if I am in active transportation). On that same note, having been involved in filling out the Walkability Assessment can be a valuable tool to me in the future. 

I totally want a Victory Garden.

Of course I was able to integrate my knowledge of sustainable communities in my own life and I always try to integrate it into others lives as well, even if they do not want my input. I am trying to live a more sustainable life, which is sometimes hard when you are at school. There are things you just have to accept (like my apartment I am renting) and then there are things you can change (like how I am commuting to work). I have the knowledge though, to integrate more when I do start my own life outside of school. At that point, I will have the money and the knowledge to make the right decisions. And if I do not have the knowledge I need, I now know where to get it.

My cohorts have taught me that there are many new things I want to try! I would love to learn how to preserve and can food from the Farmer's Market, to eat more locally, grow my own food, compost, and should probably learn how to cook more too. It gives me confidence that if my classmates can attempt these things, then I can too! As I said above, these are some things I hope to finally focus on once I am done with school. 

Look Both Ways When You Cross the Street

Probably one of the biggest reasons people do not want to bike is for the fear of their safety. I completely see where they are coming from. It is scary to be this little exposed vehicle next to tons of steel and bone-crushing metal on the road. I have already had a couple close calls...

Times I Could Have Died on My Bike But Didn't
While riding home one day on 14th Street there was a car behind me eager to get around me. I was well aware that it was back there. I could hear it (one of the main reasons one should not wear headphones when you ride) and stayed as far to the right as I could without hitting the cars parked along side the road. As the road sloped up, the car decided to speed around me, all the while not able to see an oncoming car (obviously there should have been a no passing line in the road). Needless to say there was a lot of honking, swerving, and angry looks from the oncoming driver. All was fine, but seriously that could have ended terribly.

Another time I was about to make a left on to Indiana Ave. from 4th Street. I put my arm out to signal that I was turning left, but this car sped up to the stop sign on my left just as I was about to turn. I almost rode straight into this car because they did not see or decided to ignore my turning signal.

The overall take away from this is that cars do not know how to share the road with bikes. It would probably be a smart idea to include a "share the road" section in the drivers education curriculum if it  does not exist already. I surely do not remember learning that in drivers ed.

Biggest Pet Peeves
One thing I have definitely noticed while riding occurs at four way stop signs. I stop at the stop sign just like I should, but either cars or pedestrians walking across the cross walk basically pretending I do not exist. Cars also like to think that I never need to turn left. The reality is that once bikes are on the road, they are to be treated like cars, and this just does not happen, and I believe it is because people just do not know what to do. Educating drivers would be key to helping cyclists feel safer on the roads.

Below is a Drivers Education video put together by the League of Illinois Bicyclists. 

While riding around campus, and while walking there I have noticed numerous things about the other bikers and biking in general in Bloomington:

• YOU CAN'T RIDE YOUR BIKE ON THE SIDEWALK! IT IS ILLEGAL!! AND ANNOYING!
• Don't text and ride your bike
• You probably should not smoke and ride your bike either (I have seen this so many times its ridiculous)
• Keep your line while riding. Do not swerve around when on the street. If you can't keep your line, you don't have the core muscles to control your own bike and that is sad
• I spend a lot of time avoiding trash and debris in the bike lanes and on the side of the road

Safety Measures: Lights and Helmets

My new lights

Around the end of September I realized I would need to purchase some lights for my bike. I get off work at 8 o'clock and at that point it is not exactly bright out anymore on my way home. I picked up a set of lights at BikeSmith for $23. They attach and remove easily and don't look too obnoxious. Now I do feel a bit safer getting home because I know that cars can see me.

An appropriate location for wearing a helmet

Now I know it is important to wear a helmet. I know, I know. You are stupid to ride without one. But most of the time, if I am just riding to work down Grant St. (which is not very busy), I do not wear my helmet. I tried it once and honestly I felt really really weird  The concept of wearing street clothes and a helmet just messes with my mind. But wearing my kit and a helmet just makes sense. You do not go out on a ride without a helmet. I do not know what it is, but commuting just does not make me want to wear a helmet. I asked around to my cycling friends and some people suggested that it is because I might feel more confident with my biking abilities, and thus do not need a helmet.

I would agree that I do feel pretty confident about my bike handling skills. I am used to riding with 32 other people riding so close to me that I can touch them. That is what Little 5 is about: pack riding. And it can be very messy if something goes wrong. I guess when I am out in the street I am not surrounded by anything that will immediately make me hit the pavement, so I do not feel as concerned as I would be riding on the track.

You think you are afraid of riding on the road? Then check this out and you might be happy to be riding on the street....

I tried to think of a good example of what its like to not want to wear your helmet and this was the best I could come up with. It is like a soccer player and their shin guards. Shin guards protect your shins while playing, just like a helmet would protect your head. A soccer player would never be allowed to play without shin guards, just like a cyclist would never be able to race without a helmet. But a soccer player would feel silly walking around with shin guards on when they aren't playing in a game. Just like a cyclist might feel silly wearing a helmet while riding 6 mph in a bike line.




One more safety video!